


Stupid Mistake

by AngularNotions



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: M/M, Mpreg, Romantic Comedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-17
Updated: 2012-10-17
Packaged: 2017-11-16 12:11:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/539276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngularNotions/pseuds/AngularNotions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harvey does something that has permanent results after discovering his feelings for Mike. This is the story of the 9 months that follow. Slightly smushy, no graphic scenes unless you count birth as one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a note that this story was written during Season One

_8 Weeks_

_Shit, I am an idiot. Shit, shit, shit._

Harvey glared at the little unassuming plastic wand with its very scary two pink stripes that indicated his life had just changed forever.

_One stupid one-night stand and this is what I get._

Throwing the stick in the garbage he went into his bedroom to get dressed for work. He had no idea what he was going to do about this situation but he couldn't be late into the office again. As it was, he had been late pretty much every day for the last week as the morning sickness had delayed him each day with a vengeance. That particular symptom was his first indication that he could be pregnant. He had ignored the exhaustion and moodiness, but the vomiting was tough to discredit as being from working too much. It was starting to get embarrassing, as it had gone from just the morning to all day in very quick succession. Donna was clearly getting worried about him.

Brushing his teeth for the second time, he gathered himself up to face the day. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he figured, puking aside, he still had time to hide it and made a decision.

Mike greeted him outside as usual, with a big shit-eating grin. The kid had won a case the day before, all on his own without Harvey's help, and he was still in a gloating mood.

It wasn't until they got on the elevator that Harvey noticed that Mike had a hot dog in his hand from the vendor outside.

"That's a healthy breakfast." He tried to breath through his mouth to avoid the smell, but felt his stomach start churning nonetheless.

Mike just took a bite and grinned at him again. "I didn't have time to get anything else, food is food."

Harvey swallowed the bile back down and willed the elevator to move quicker. Mike started chattering away beside him between bites, going on about his awesome win and how Louis would have to actually thank him.

When the elevator doors opened Harvey dove off and took in a breath of fresher air, heading towards his office he knew he would need a minute to collect himself. He heard Mike go into Louis's office and was grateful that he hadn't followed him. He nodded at Donna and closed his office door before sitting down at his desk and resting his forehead on his arms. A few minutes of breathing and swallowing hard and the nausea started to pass thankfully.

Sitting up and rubbing his face with his hands he heard the door open and Donna stepped in.

"Your appointment is here, do you want me to bring anything… are you OK? You look a little green."

Harvey glanced at her. "I'm fine, send them in."

Focusing through the meeting was almost impossible. He had suspected already for a few days what was going on, but not knowing for sure had made it easier to cope. Now that he had confirmation, his head was spinning with fear, worry, anger, frustration and the teeniest, tiniest twinge of happiness. That particular emotion was the one that perplexed him the most. He did not want kids. Never even considered them. His life was pretty damn fucking awesome just as it was and he didn't need some snot-nosed brat ruining it all. So why was he feeling that tiny bit of happiness? The only possible explanation he could come up with was hormones, but it still ate at him.

When the clients had left, eyeing him strangely as he swallowed a gag from the gentleman's very powerful cologne, he attempted to get to work on sorting out the deal. But his concentration refused to cooperate.

Among many other things he had to concern himself with, was the father of his child. He remembered very little about the man. They had met in a bar, a somewhat seedy one at that, in an area of town Harvey didn't usually frequent. He had sought refuge in the dim, musky room, from all of the thoughts swirling in his head. That was the night he had realized that he was in love with Mike Ross. And he didn't have a fucking clue what to do about it; his best idea was to drink. As someone who really didn't get drunk that often, it hadn't taken long before he was sloppy and some guy was propping him up at the bar. Then that same guy was helping him into a cab, and getting in beside him. Then Harvey was kissing that guy and his next memories, though foggy and jumbled told enough of a story for him to know just how he had gotten pregnant.

He had no idea what the guys name was, only a vague idea where he lived, since that was where they had gone, and wasn't sure how in hell he would tell him anyway. Moreover, if he wanted to tell the guy since he wasn't sure what he was going to do with the baby himself.

The word baby stopped his thoughts. Up until that point, he hadn't referred to the entity currently residing in his abdomen as a baby. That made it more real than anything and suddenly he felt really guilty. Though he held no real opinion on the subject of abortion, he was now sitting wondering if that really was an option for him.

His career minded side was telling him to worry about himself and what this would do for the rest of his life. His human side was telling him that he had other options he could consider. Adoption for one. He rolled that thought around in his head for a few minutes. At the outset, it made him uncomfortable, someone else raising his child, the one that he was perfectly capable of raising himself financially. But could he do it emotionally.

He wasn't sure, but he did know that abortion wasn't what he wanted to do. He was going to have the baby, but now the real trouble was going to start. First of all, how the hell was he going to tell Jessica, or Donna or, and Harvey swallowed hard at this, Mike. Suddenly he felt incredibly embarrassed. What the hell was Mike going to think about him when he found out about this? He felt like a whore. How the hell could he have let this happen?

Just as the panic was spreading through his body his office door opened and Donna came in. She took one look at his face and closed the door behind her before approaching him.

"Harvey, what the hell is going on? Are you ill?" She looked genuinely concerned, clearly she thought he was dying of cancer or something and for one sick second Harvey wished that were the case.

"Not exactly." Harvey wasn't someone who normally needed friends to lean on, he was incredibly independent but this was one situation where someone else's opinion on the matter might prove incredibly helpful.

"What is it then?" The concern hadn't left her voice and that was comforting.

"I'm pregnant."

The way Donna wobbled, Harvey actually thought she might pass out. Instead she managed to stumble herself into a chair and continued to gape at him. His embarrassment was growing rapidly.

After almost two awkward minutes Donna finally found her voice.

"I'm sorry, what? You are not serious right now? You are joking right?"

Staring at his hands to avoid eye contact because he felt so ashamed, he just shook his head no, he wasn't joking.

"Holy shit Harvey. What the hell?"

He knew he should have expected this reaction, if someone were to write up a list of things that he would never do, this probably would top that list.

"I made a really, really stupid mistake Donna, really fucking stupid, and now I don't know what to do."

He glanced up at her to see if she was still in shock, but her face had softened a bit.

"I see. Well, putting all the other questions and thoughts I have aside, the obvious question is, do you want it?"

The exact thought he was already pondering when she had come into his office. The same panic crept up. He honestly didn't have an answer, and worse yet, wasn't sure when he would.

"I don't know. Fuck… I just… I really don't know."

She nodded slowly to that, understanding on her face.

"Fair enough, you still have time to think, you don't have to make a decision today."

"What do you think I should do?" He couldn't help it; he needed to know what she was really thinking.

"This isn't my decision Harvey…"

"I know it's not, but please, be honest with me, we always are with each other, what do you think I should do?"

She stared at him for a long moment, clearly trying to word her response carefully.

"Ok, you want my honest opinion, I think you should keep it."

He had no idea why, but for some reason, that was the answer he wanted. He knew what this meant, but wasn't ready to admit it to himself yet.

He nodded at her slowly, while continuing to contemplate his hands on his desk.

The door burst open and a breathless Mike followed the blast of air it caused, his eyes sparkling with excitement over something. He took in the scene in the office quickly though and seemed to immediately sense the more somber tone of the meeting going on.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something? I'll come back." And he turned on his heel to leave.

Harvey decided that he would continue talking to Donna later, and smiled at her softly, she caught the drift and rose.

"Mike, come back, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, I don't want to interrupt…"

"Mike, just spit it out."

Mike eyed him for a second, but then started chattering on about the case Louis had just given him. Harvey was surprised with how easily he resumed the usual banter with Mike, even throwing in a few digs at Louis, while his mind was still in turmoil.

Ever the observant one, Mike waited until they had finished their conversation about the case to finally ask Harvey what was wrong.

He couldn't help but laugh at Mike's eagle eye; the kid never missed a thing.

"Nothing is wrong. You better go talk to your client."

Mike eyed him again, suspicious lines about his brow, but he let it go.

"How should I approach him, he's not going to just give up the files."

"Mike, I'm not here to hold your hand, you have assured me you can sit at the adult table, now go on and prove it."

Mike looked a little wounded at this comment and Harvey felt his heart break a little. He still had absolutely no idea what he was going to do about his feelings for Mike. Even telling Mike to leave to go work on his case was hard; Harvey wanted nothing more than for Mike to stay, just to have his presence near. But he knew he had to focus on other issues and he would think about the Mike situation later.

As soon as Mike left, Donna came back in and resumed her position in the chair in front of his desk. They stared at each other for a few minutes. Donna finally broke the silence.

"How far along are you, do you know?"

He felt a little outraged at this question.

"I'm not a common street whore Donna, I know when I got pregnant. I'm about eight weeks."

Donna looked a bit flustered and quickly apologized.

"I know you're not a whore Harvey, I just didn't know if you had been to a doctor or anything."

"I just found out this morning, I've really not done much except throw up all week."

"Yeah, I noticed that."

He laughed softly; he knew she had noticed.

His phone buzzing ended their second attempt at talking about it, and the busy rest of day kept them apart entirely except to exchange business pleasantries.

Harvey found two minutes to quickly locate a doctor and make an appointment for the next day. He knew it would be more time off work, but Donna had made a good point, he needed to get a medical opinion.

* * *

The next day it was confirmed that he was indeed, eight weeks along. The doctor was far more chipper than Harvey would have liked, but he also seemed to be clueless as to who he was so he was reasonably assured of there being discretion in his case.

After he was told, quite gleefully, that everything was fine, that both of them were doing well, he made his escape from the overly pastel office.

He couldn't help but focus on the 'both of them' comment on the way to the office. Like how he had used the word baby in his mind the day previous, the thought that there was now indeed, two of them, was almost haunting, but not in a negative way.

He felt suddenly more conscious of himself, of his entire body and felt very protective over it. He made extra effort to avoid having someone bump into him, and double-checked before crossing the road.

Mike was standing at the bike rack when he made his way up to the front of the office. He looked a little surprised to see Harvey arriving so late. He was carrying his case file and clearly had been doing some work outside of the office before coming in.

"How is it I get shit for showing up late, but you just stroll in when you feel like it."

"When you earn the right to show up late, come talk to me then. How is the case coming?"

Mike glared at him for a second, he hated being reminded of his lower status in the office; something Harvey was keenly aware of. He hated using it as a weapon but sometimes it was his best deflection.

"Fine, a little creative work on my part and I got the files out of the guy pretty easy." Mike puffed his chest out a little in pride and Harvey couldn't help but smile, though he quickly turned his face away before Mike saw any of the real emotion behind that smile.

They rode up in the elevator in silence, mainly because the movements of the elevator now made Harvey feel seasick but Mike didn't seem to notice as he flipped through his paperwork. Harvey was horrified to find out just how much longer he would had to deal with the nausea and was really displeased to learn it could happen through the entire pregnancy. Donna had noticed; he had no doubt that others would as well before his belly started showing.

After Mike went on his way to the bullpen to keep working, Harvey made his way to his office, contemplating his next move.

Donna, not surprisingly, followed him in and sat down again.

"How are you feeling today?"

"Nauseous. Same as yesterday, and the day before."

"What did the doctor say?"

"That everything is fine, that I am eight weeks, and that I could puke the whole fucking time."

"Can he give you something for that?"

"Maybe, but evidently I just have to wait it out for the time being."

Donna sat quiet for a second, the next question clearly on her tongue.

He cocked his head to side at her, "what?"

"Are you intending on telling Jessica?"

_Not if I can help it because I really don't want to_ , he thought.

"Not for a while, I won't be showing for some time, so I figure I can wait. Do more thinking in the meantime."

"So you are having the baby?"

That word stuck in his head again and he nodded.

"And you are keeping it?"

"I don't know that yet. That's the thinking I need to do."

"Fair enough." She paused and contemplated him curiously before asking "what about Mike?"

Harvey felt colour sliding up into his cheeks, and felt a little horrified; he never blushed. But he couldn't help but think, _how much does she know?_

"What do you mean, what about Mike?"

Donna fidgeted and Harvey knew immediately that she had noticed something about him and Mike.

"Donna?" He sounded a bit sterner than he intended but he needed to know what she was thinking, for the second time in two days.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?"

The heat in his cheeks turned cold, along with the rest of his body. But it seemed pointless to lie.

"Yes."

"Does he know about the baby?"

"No, I haven't told him yet, not sure how I'm going to…" Then suddenly he caught her drift, she thought Mike was the father.

"Wait, Donna, he's not… we haven't…"

Donna's mouth dropped open a bit and he could see her embarrassment at her assumption.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I just, I see the way you two are together and assumed… but that's what they say about assuming, it makes an ass out of you and I." She laughed nervously.

Harvey was a little stunned by this. Her picking up on his feelings for Mike was actually not that surprising, she knew Harvey best and was able to see when he altered in any way. But he was suddenly desperately curious as to what she had seen from Mike.

"What do you mean about us together? How we behave?" His fishing was transparent and he knew it, but really, did it matter?  
"He orbits around you like you are the sun Harvey; he lives on your every word, your every smile. How have you not noticed this?"

"He has a girlfriend…"

"Who, Jenny? He broke up with her months ago."

"How did I not notice this?"

"Because you're you."

He knew what she meant; he was a self-absorbed ass most of the time, though this hadn't stopped him from falling in love with Mike.

She returned to her original question, though the meaning behind it had changed.

"What are you going to tell him?"

Harvey was reeling again from his stupidity that had gotten him into this mess in the first place. If only he had looked a little harder sooner, he wouldn't be pregnant with some stranger's kid right now, or he could be pregnant, but with Mike's kid. That thought threw him a little.  
Donna was still waiting for an answer he realized and he shook his head and muttered 'I don't know.'

"You should tell him something, don't leave it until you are showing and he finds out through rumour or something."

He nodded, she was right. But he felt like he still had time, and he intended to use it.


	2. Chapter 2

_3 Months_

Harvey had somewhat begrudgingly booked his next doctor's appointment that morning. He wasn't keen on going back to baby pastel hell but he knew his health and the baby's health were more important than his personal comfort with the décor.

The doctor had informed him that he was going to listen for a heartbeat and Harvey was quite surprised that there could be one that early. The thought of it made him nervous but also very curious. When the doctor had found it and let him hear it, his eyes had welled up of their own accord. There was just something in that little thud, thud, thud that drew him to it.

He attempted to scoff this off as more hormones, but he knew better at that point. He'd had four whole weeks of knowing about the baby, four weeks of getting used to the idea, and oddly enough, four weeks of starting to enjoy it.

He hadn't stopped throwing up yet, but he had noticed a slight lessening. He also found himself eating incredibly odd things at really weird times of the day and night.

Returning to the office after the scan with a little picture in his pocket, he knew it was time to bite the bullet and go talk to Jessica. He had intended to wait until he was starting to show slightly, but he realized that that might be a little unfair to her.

Getting on the elevator a young woman joined him. For the first time he noticed the small child in her hands. He'd ridden the elevator with her before but had barely glanced at her. He now found himself looking at the child with awe. The sweet little boy with the blond ringlets and blue eyes grinned at him and he couldn't help but smile back. Feeling warmth spreading through him he also felt some anticipation of what it might be like for him. He also felt real grief at the idea that if he chose adoption, he would never have this.

The woman and child got off at the 3rd floor, a stop that normally annoyed Harvey as it slowed him down, but this time he noticed the sign on the wall outside the elevator before the doors shut.

The office had a damn daycare and he had no idea about it until that moment. He had been there for all those years and had never noticed. He really was incredibly self-absorbed.

Donna met him at his desk as usual, doing her daily checkup on him. He produced the picture for her to see and, despite her best efforts to hide it; she smiled widely at the picture.

"Did you hear the heartbeat?"

Harvey felt his throat get tight at the memory.

"Yes. It was… amazing."

With that Donna ran around the desk and threw her arms around him in a big hug.

"You will be good at this, don't worry!"

Harvey just laughed into her hair, he was starting to think he could do this himself.

"Oh, sorry, didn't realize I was interrupting something… again."

Harvey looked up and met Mike's eyes, the emotion quick, but he thought he saw Mike look a little jealous.

"Oh sorry Mike, I was just congratulating Donna on something."

Donna surreptitiously slid the picture into Harvey's back pocket and nodded along.

"Yes, my sister… is getting married."

"I didn't know you had a sister." Eagle eyed Mike was suspicious.

"Yes, you know me, I don't really talk about my personal life here, but… this news was so exciting I had to share with someone." Donna was over acting her part a little in her nervous state, her hands flailing more than a little.

Mike's eyebrow rose dubiously.

"I was the nearest victim." Harvey joked and then quickly changed the subject. "What do you need?"

Mike looked back and forth at them for a few seconds, but then launched into the issue he was having with Louis while Donna scuttled by.

Harvey only half listened, Mike tended to use him as someone to vent on about Louis so this was nothing new. The giant question mark that was their relationship, or lack thereof as the case may be; was becoming somewhat of a frustration. Harvey hated just floating in the unknown. Donna's comments about how Mike acted around him had given him some hope for them. But then there was the monumental task of telling him about the baby. Harvey was pretty positive that that simple confession would kill any chances he had with Mike stone dead.

After Mike finished his ranting, with Harvey throwing in a few sarcastic remarks of his own regarding Louis's behaviour, Mike stood in front of his desk fidgeting with his hands.

"Is something else wrong?"

"No, nothing wrong… Just.."

Mike was turning slightly red, Harvey found this charming but was also curious as to where this was going.

"Just what?"

"Just, do you want to get a drink later," Mike studied his face for a second before adding nervously "as friends." Harvey got the distinct drift that the 'as friends' part was not what he meant.

On the one hand, he was thrilled; Mike was asking him out. On the other, he was pregnant and he couldn't drink. Mike was getting more fidgety because of the length of time Harvey was taking in answering so he quickly tried to find something he could say.

"Drinks? Um, no, not tonight." Mike's face fell and he turned to leave.

"Wait, I have a better idea, why don't you come over to my place and I'll cook?"  
Harvey hoped he sounded casual enough, but couldn't be sure.

Mike spun on his heel and was visibly uplifted by the suggestion.

"Sure, what time?"  
"We'll say 8."

"Ok, well, I'll see you then, if I don't see you before… since we work in the same office…" Mike trailed off.

"Go give Louis hell."

Mike laughed, and turned to leave, but happier this time.

Harvey felt pretty good as well; he forced all the worried feelings down and focused on the good. That is, until Jessica came into his office with a new case for him and he was reminded that there was something he was supposed to be telling her.

After making small talk about the case, he lost his nerve and she left his office none the wiser.

He vowed to talk to her tomorrow; he still had time after all.

* * *

Mike was prompt in his arrival, though Harvey suspected he'd been outside the door for a few minutes before.

It had taken Harvey forever to figure out what to cook since he was so averse to certain foods now, and so attracted to others that did not combine in any palatable way for a non-pregnant human being. He'd finally settled on a vegetarian stir-fry, since meat made him openly gag.

His hands had been a bit shaky as he got ready, this was essentially his first date with Mike, and it was not going to be normal by any means. Like dinner, figuring out what to wear had been a process. He finally settled on jeans that fit his body nicely, though not for much longer he mused, and a simple white t-shirt with a lightweight charcoal sweater on top.

Mike came into his apartment full of energy, dressed himself in a pair of jeans and a pale blue t-shirt that Harvey noticed brought out his eyes.

"Your place is so awesome." Mike openly marveled at the view and polished finishes all around.

Harvey took his coat and bag and stowed them away before leading him into the kitchen.

"Smells good, I didn't know you could cook."

Harvey smiled at him and raised his eyebrow playfully, "I'm a man of many talents."

Mike grinned innocently.

As they ate they made small talk, made fun of Louis and discussed their respective cases.

After Harvey had cleaned up, with Mike attempting to help and being waved away, they moved to the living room and settled on the couch.

Harvey noticed that Mike sat a little closer to him than would normally be acceptable for 'just friends' and couldn't help but feel good about that.

It had been in the back of his mind the entire time that he couldn't let this get too far without telling Mike the truth. He had to respect him enough to give him the chance to change his mind, no matter how much that would hurt.

"So, Donna has a sister eh?"

He caught Harvey off-guard with that question; clearly he was still suspicious about what he had walked in on earlier that day.

"Yes, why is this such a big deal to you?"

"It just seemed like her excitement was a little much for just being happy for her sister getting married."

"Some people are that close with family."

Mike looked down and Harvey saw sadness cross his face and felt guilty for that comment, knowing full well how much Mike had lost already in that department.

"Sorry, I should have thought. How is your grandmother?"

Mike glanced at him for a second but looked back down at his hands.

"She's ok, day by day, she's making friends. She's happy I'm working for you."

"So am I." Harvey said this with earnest, he knew that he didn't always make Mike feel appreciated, usually because he was trying to hide his own feelings for Mike, but tonight was about them being more open.

Mike's face came up and he looked him in the eye before sliding forward and planting his lips on Harvey's.

Harvey, unable to control how much he wanted this, responded immediately, kissing Mike hard.

It didn't take long before the kiss led to groping, Mike's hand slid up Harvey's thigh suggestively and Harvey was ever so slightly taken aback by his directness but appreciative nonetheless. He responded by sliding his hand up Mike's back and pulling him closer before pushing Mike down on the couch and sliding on top of him.

Then he remembered. He needed to tell Mike before this went any further.

As much as it killed him to do so, hormones making him as horny as hell, he pulled away from Mike and sat up. Mike stared at him confused and every so slightly wounded.

"We need to talk, before we do this."

"Um, ok, can't it wait?"

"No, I'm sorry, it can't."

Mike read the seriousness of the situation and sat up himself next to Harvey.

"I need to tell you something. Something that will probably alter your opinion of me."

"How about you let me decide that."

Harvey almost laughed at that, Mike was so headstrong.

"A few months ago, I made a mistake, a drunken mistake, and the end result is what I need to talk to you about."

"You got arrested?"

Harvey laughed nervously, "no, nothing like that, though that would be amusing."

Collecting himself, he turned to face Mike, he refused to be a coward about this, like he was with Jessica earlier.

"Mike, I'm pregnant."

Mike's eyes went wide like saucers and his mouth dropped open. He didn't seem to even breathe for a few seconds and Harvey started to worry a little.

He finally collected himself enough to ask "I'm sorry, what?"

Harvey looked down at his hands on his knees.

"You heard me."

"How?... well, I know how, but who?"

"That's the really embarrassing part, it was some guy I met in a bar."

"I honestly never thought of you as the type to do something like that."  
Harvey searched for the sound of disgust in his voice, but didn't find it, it was something closer to awe and surprise.

"How far along are you?"

"Three months. Had my first scan today." He threw a quick look over his shoulder and saw that the ball had dropped.

"Donna doesn't have a fucking sister, does she?"

"Err… no…" Harvey's eyes went a little shifty.

"She's excited for you?"

"Yeah."  
"How do you feel?"

Harvey took a deep breath; coming up with words to describe the emotions was harder than he thought.

"Terrified, horrified, embarrassed, stupid, disgusted with myself, curious…. And maybe a little happy."

He instantly regretted saying the last one. It wasn't really best practice to let on to the person you love and want to be your lover that you're happy about being knocked up by someone else.

"So you want kids?"

"I don't know."

"Dude, your pregnant, shouldn't you decide that? You've only got 6 months left."

A little wave of panic swept through Harvey's core.

"I know, I'm still deciding what I'm going to do."

"Well, if you're being honest when you say you're a little happy, I think it's safe to say you've already decided."

Mike's logic was hard to argue with.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you should know before this went any further, it wouldn't be fair keeping it from you."

"Well I appreciate your honesty, but I'm little overwhelmed, of all the things you could have said at that moment, this was not even close to what I was thinking…"

Harvey nodded, he knew it was over, even before it really had begun. He struggled to keep the pain out of his face when he looked at Mike.

"If you want to go, I understand."  
Mike was clearly contemplating that idea already so he felt it best to just give him permission to do so. Avoid dragging out the discomfort any longer.

"Um, yeah," Mike nodded, then added "I'm sorry, I just need a little time with this."

Harvey nodded back and they both rose. He retrieved Mike's coat and bag from the closet and they stood awkwardly in silence for a few minutes in front of the door.

"Um, thanks for dinner, I guess I will see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, thanks, see you tomorrow."

Then Mike slipped out the door, and as far as Harvey could tell, out of his life in any meaningful way.

He leaned back against the wall and slid down to the floor, a few tears rolling down his cheeks. He had never felt so alone.


	3. Chapter 3

_4 Months_

Another month of tomorrows had passed and Jessica was still in the dark. After Mike's reaction, Harvey was even more apprehensive about sharing the news. Unfortunately, his pregnancy was marching along like clockwork and that morning he had been unable to button his pants. He hadn't really looked in the mirror up until that point to see if there was anything there, still ever so slightly in denial as he was. He looked this time and there, clear as day, was the beginning of a bump. Feeling slightly panicked about what in hell he was going to wear he rummaged through his closet and finally found something that, while slightly snug, he could do up. It was time to go shopping.

This also meant that, while he could do his damndest to hide the vomiting, the hormones and the moodiness, the belly would be far more difficult. It was finally time to tell Jessica, enough cowardice.

As he arrived at the office, he decided to do it first thing, figuring the outcome might determine the rest of the days events.

Mike no longer met him outside the office. He was working more independently now on cases that Louis and Jessica assigned him. He never came to Harvey for help anymore and when they did run into each other, it was very awkward, so Harvey had started avoiding him. It hurt like hell to have Mike suddenly out of his life, like a chunk of himself had been carved away without pain killers, but he knew it was for the best. Mike seemed to be avoiding him as well and so Harvey hadn't seen him for a solid week.

Mike's bike was chained up outside, and Harvey felt the usual little stab in his chest when he looked at it, but just kept walking.

The same young woman and her beautiful child rode with him to the third floor where they got off. Every time he looked at that child he couldn't help but start trying to picture what his baby would look like.

With incredibly hazy memories of the baby's father, it was difficult to get any clear idea. Donna had been helping him narrow down where the guy possibly lived, but he hadn't had the nerve to actually go over there and look yet. It wasn't his top priority.

He had had all the usual testing the last two months checking for every potential threat to the baby, including all STD's and they had all come back clean; so he was happy to know the guy was at least disease free.

Donna kept reminding him that, if for no other reason, he needed to find the guy to get more of a medical history for the sake of the child. If there were any hereditary diseases in the guy's family, it would be best to know about it.

Harvey agreed, but still hadn't gone looking yet.

As he headed towards Jessica's office, his stomach starting doing little flips and his palms were sweating.

She was on the phone when he arrived, so he had to wait a few agonizing minutes before he could speak with her and he almost lost his nerve again.

Jessica just smiled in a friendly non-suspicious manner when he walked in and closed the door behind him. He sat down, feeling his pants pinch a bit around his waist as a reminder and took a deep breath before starting.

"I have something I need to tell you, it's sort of a duty that I tell you really, since you're my boss, but um…"

She was looking at him like he had lost his mind; he mentally kicked himself and took another breath.

"Jessica, I'm pregnant."

Her expression matched Donna's at the news. Completely and utterly gob smacked. The pen she was holding fell out of her hand and rolled across the desk and landed on the floor with a soft thump. After that it was silence for a few minutes.

Harvey fidgeted nervously, he hated it when people did that, but he could understand why they did at that moment.

"I'm sorry, I just thought you should know, I'll go."

Feeling like leaving her with the news might be best at the moment he rose, to which she barked "sit down now". He complied quickly.

"Harvey, please tell me you are joking."

He was beginning to get a bit offended at people assuming he was kidding about this. _Why the fuck would I joke about this?_ He thought.

"I'm not joking actually. I'm four months along and I have decided to keep the baby."

"Who the hell is the father?"

And now for the really embarrassing bit.

"Um… I don't actually know, I was really drunk."

"You were drunk?"

"Yes… I met him in a bar and I don't actually remember that much…"

He had to hand it to her, she wore her feelings quite blatantly on her face at that moment and she looked disgusted with his behaviour. It was almost comforting to finally have someone else agree that he had behaved ridiculously, though he assumed Mike secretly felt that way. He felt a pang in his chest at the thought of Mike. He pushed it away quickly, in the 'deal with later' segment of his brain.

"Look, I'm not looking for anything from you, but as I said, I have a duty of sorts to tell you, since I'll be taking time for appointments and will need time off obviously when I have the baby."

Jessica frowned, but he doubted it had anything to do with him being away from work.

"Are you sure you are ready for this? That you want to do this?"

Being overly emotional he immediately felt outraged but managed to calm himself down before responding.

"Yes, I'm sure. I have known for about two months, that was time I used to think it through."

She nodded at this, though still looking completely shocked and dubious at his capabilities to handle this.

"How long do you intend to keep working?"  
He hadn't really considered this thoroughly, he had initially believed he would be there until the day the baby came, but the fact that he now had a bump was causing him to reconsider. He didn't particularly like the idea of people staring at him as he waddled down the hall, mid-section the size of a small house.

"I'm not sure, I will decide though quickly and let you know." He felt it best to reassure her that nothing else would change, in many ways he was still the same Harvey.

"Listen, Jessica, I promise you this will not change how I work for you and this firm. My cases will be my top priority when I am here and you know I'll keep bringing in bank, so you don't need to worry… but I am sorry as well."

She nodded, her expression had softened a bit, but he could tell she was still disappointed in him and he hated that feeling.

He rose again, and she didn't stop him this time, in fact, they didn't say another word to each other.

Leaving her office, Harvey felt a sense of impending doom, like everything was getting out of hand way sooner than he expected it could.

Donna trailed him into his office again, no doubt to bug him about finding the baby's father again.

"Did you just talk to Jessica?"  
"Yes."

"How did that go?"

"Not great, she's completely horrified."  
"That's a little unfair of her, isn't it."  
"Actually, it's exactly how I expected her to react, so I'm not surprised."  
"What happens now?"  
"Well, she can't fire me now, but I suspect that things are going to be very strained from now on. I think I have really disappointed her."  
He knew, without a doubt, that his relationship with Jessica was permanently altered. She expected better from him, he knew that, she was behind his career and to see him possibly throwing it all away had to be a crushing blow to her.

"Harvey, forgive me, but what she thinks really doesn't matter. This is your life, and so long as it isn't affecting your ability to bring in millions for the firm, which I know won't happen because you are a born lawyer, then she really can't comment."  
"Jessica is the reason I am a lawyer, she financed and nurtured my career, so yes, she does get an opinion in the matter. But you're right, I just have to show her that this won't affect my ability to win cases."  
Donna nodded, and Harvey was suddenly incredibly appreciative of her at that moment. She always had been behind him, supporting him more as a friend than anyone else in his life, she was the one person he trusted most. But these last few months had truly shown him just how much of a friend she really was to him. She had been supportive right from the moment he told her and he wasn't sure he could ever thank her enough.

After a few minutes of silence Donna looked at him right in the eye.

"When are you going to find the baby's father?"

Harvey pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes in exasperation. He was growing tired of this conversation, and feeling guilty about not making any more effort at finding the mysterious bar guy.

"I don't know Donna, honestly with the Jessica factor, and what happened with Mike, it's not been my first priority."  
"I have an idea. Why don't we go look together this weekend?"

She wasn't going to let this go, and he knew damn right well she was right, so he might as well just get it over with.

"Fine, we'll go this weekend."  
She smiled triumphantly and stood up and left, leaving Harvey with his own thoughts and concerns. It was one thing to imagine how complicated things were going to get, but it was another thing entirely to actually live it.

* * *

After four hours of searching on Saturday, they had stopped for a break at a café to try to figure out their next move.

Harvey was exhausted already and frankly was ready to just give up for the day, but Donna was stubborn and not willing to give up just yet.

"What if we went back to the bar you met him at tonight? Maybe he'd be there again!"

"Donna, I'm four months pregnant, I'm already tired and cranky from what we have done so far, my pants don't fit anymore and I don't stay awake past like nine at night, so I'm not sitting in some shitty bar hoping he might wander in. I'm not even sure I would recognize him."

"Seriously Harvey, how drunk were you?"  
"Hammered it would seem. I know it was hell the next day."  
"Are you sure someone didn't slip something into your drink?"

"Yes I'm sure, I never left my drinks alone, and I was actually alone sitting at the bar until I was far gone and he came up."  
She wrinkled her nose a bit.

"So he waited until you were totally wasted before making a move? Who the hell did you sleep with?"  
"I'm not entirely sure he made a move, I think he just tried to get me into a cab, based on what memories I have, I made the first move."

She smirked.

"What?"  
"I just don't think I have ever seen you that drunk, I bet it would be funny as hell."  
"What? Why?"

"Because, you are mister cool, you're all steel spine and in control at all times, for you to get sloppy and out of control, and even touchy-feely would be pretty funny."  
He knew he should be a bit annoyed at this comment, but couldn't help but laugh as well, he had no doubt he was one hell of a sight that night.

"Can we go home now?"  
"No, we aren't done yet."  
"I'm tired Donna."  
"We have three more neighbourhoods to go, we might as well be thorough."  
Harvey rolled his head back in exasperation.

"Fine then, let's get this over with."  
As he stood he readjusted his jeans under the bump in a more comfortable manner. Donna had squealed that morning when she had seen him in a t-shirt and the bump was visible. With the creative use of baggier pants, vests and jackets he had done fairly well at concealing it at work, so she hadn't noticed it until that moment.

He was still coming to terms with it himself. Having always been in good shape with a flat stomach this protrusion was completely new for him and he didn't quite know how to deal with it. He did know that it was going to get bigger, much bigger, and he would have to deal with that.

They walked to the next search area, at Donna's insistence. It was close by and a nice day, so why not walk. Harvey had all sorts of reasons for not walking but he had been quickly overruled since he was too tired to argue, something that didn't happen often to him.

Turning a corner he felt a strange sensation of déjà vu, there was familiarity. It only took him a few seconds of looking around to recognize the street as being the right one. He had got a glance around at it when he was hailing a cab the next morning, attempting to get away before the guy noticed he was gone.

He slowed down walking as he studied each house. It wasn't the greatest area, long stretches of town homes that were in need of help. Chain link fences surrounded each small plot of land and there were plenty of side driveways and alleys where he didn't doubt many drug deals went down.

He stopped in front of one small unassuming red brick townhouse. It was the end of the row and he recognized the plaid couch on the front step. Feeling horrified that not only had he gone into this house, he had had sex with it's occupant, he couldn't help the shudder that crept down his spine in disgust. He knew he shouldn't be so damn judgmental, he was well off now, but he hadn't always been. Not only that, the guy could be perfectly decent and very nice.

Donna came back down the sidewalk towards him, she had been so busy looking at her map she hadn't noticed that he had stopped until she was three houses away.

"What? Is this it? Do you recognize something?"  
"Yes, that disgusting couch. Who the hell has a couch on the front porch?"  
"Evidently a lot of the people in this neighbourhood, looking at the rest of the houses."

Harvey glanced around and saw that she was right, most of the porches contained some form of furniture better suited to the interior of the house. But he knew the plaid couch was the right one.

Donna grabbed his arm and started pulling him up the little walk to the stairs. Harvey hadn't realized how strong she was and had a hard time stopping her.

"Donna, what are you doing?"  
"Harvey, we haven't spent all this time looking for the damn house so you can stand on the sidewalk and look at it. The whole point of this was for you to talk to the guy."  
He glared at her; despite knowing she was right.

She glared right back defiantly. Knowing they were at an impasse, he finally caved. He might as well get this over with.

He went up the stairs with Donna, took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

He heard no movement inside, and was suddenly hopeful that the guy wasn't home, that he might get a reprieve. But there was no such luck, the door handle shook and the door swung open.

As soon as he saw his face, Harvey knew he had the right one. He wasn't bad looking at all. About the same height as Harvey, slim build, blond, blue eyes.

Harvey knew immediately why he had gone for him; he could easily pass for Mike with the right amount of alcohol involved.

The guy looked openly surprised at seeing Harvey standing there. Donna had stepped back, knowing this was probably something she should leave to Harvey.

"Wow, I didn't think I would ever see you again."  
The guys voice was all wrong for the Mike fantasy however, it was too deep and raspy.

"We need to talk."  
He could see the possibilities running through his mind, and when his eyes glanced down at Harvey's belly they widened.

"Holy shit."  
"Yeah, holy shit is right."

"Look dude, I don't have any money so if you are expecting help with that, you aren't going to get any."  
The guy was quickly proving himself to be a bit of an ass.

"First of all, my name is Harvey, I would appreciate knowing your name as well."

Harvey waited expectantly.

"Uh, Doug, my name is Doug."  
"Ok, Doug, I don't want your damn money; I don't need it. What I do need is just to know your medical history, if there are any hereditary diseases or conditions that might affect the baby in the future."  
Doug reached a hand up and scratched his head at this, and Harvey realized he might be having a battle of wits with an unarmed man.

"Well, uh. I'm not sure really. My folks are still kicking, my grandparents died really old, I don't think there is anything that could come up."

Harvey nodded.

"Ok, good. Is there anything else about yourself that I should know?"  
Doug continued to stare somewhat dumbly at him. Harvey had no idea why his question seemed so perplexing but the guy was clearly lost. He noted the open beer can in his hand and knew why.

"I don't think so."

"Ok, good, sorry to have bothered you, have a nice life." With that Harvey turned on his heel and started towards the stairs.

"Wait, can I call you, I mean, I'm not really up to being a father, but it would be nice to check in on how the little mite is doing from time to time."  
It was Harvey's turn to be dumbfounded.  
"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I'm the kids father right, otherwise you wouldn't be here asking me questions, so can I call you?"  
Harvey closed his eyes and took a deep breath to compose himself, the temptation to deck the fucker was pretty high.

"No, no you may not call me. Unless you are interested in actually taking on a role as parent," Doug shook his head no, "then I see no reason for us to stay in contact."  
"Harvey, why don't you take his number, so you can call him if you have more questions."  
Donna clearly thought that when he calmed down, he might change his mind. Harvey didn't foresee that, but at least if he did have the guys number, he could call if there were any issues or things he needed to know.

"Fine, I accept that idea."  
Doug nodded vigorously before retreating back into the house to write down his number.

Donna whispered in his absence, "Harvey, calm down, he's just shocked, he's only just learned about the baby, remember how you needed time to get used to the idea, so does he, don't be so hard on him."

"He's about a dozen bricks short of a load Donna, it's unlikely his opinion on the matter is going to change."  
Doug returned with the paper and thrust it at Harvey.

"Thank you" Harvey said sarcastically. "Thank you again for your time." Harvey turned again and started down the stairs, Donna behind him.

"It was good seeing you again," called Doug after him.

Harvey just wanted to be as far away from there as possible, he felt absolutely mortified.

* * *

The next Monday he had spent some time in the morning having new suits tailored. He only got a few to last him through he hoped the majority of the pregnancy. He wasn't intending on having another kid, so he was only interested in getting his shit together for this one.

After long consideration all day Sunday, he had finally decided that he would leave work earlier. He hadn't come up with a sure date yet, but he figured sometime near the end of his seventh month, at least until he actually did some research on pregnancy and discovered he would be pretty big already at that point, so he needed to think much sooner.

The bump had doubled in size by Friday, causing strain already on one of the new suits.

He still hadn't seen Mike, making it a total of two weeks without contact. In fact he hadn't even seen Mike's bike outside that week, he must be working a new case.

He finally caved when Donna came into his office that Friday afternoon and asked her if she had seen him and how he was.

Donna looked a little startled. "He hasn't been here for a week Harvey, his grandmother is very sick, Pneumonia."

Harvey felt horrified that he hadn't known. Suddenly he just wanted to find Mike, if only to see if he could help in any way.

Donna clearly could see this and wrote down the hospital where she was staying. He took the paper gratefully and hurried to the elevator.

The ride to the hospital was agonizing, he felt so guilty for not being there for Mike, even with everything else going on and the strain in their relationship, he knew just how important Mike's grandmother was to him, and he knew Mike would be in tremendous pain if he lost her.

Heading to the floor that a nurse directed him to, he saw Mike the moment he stepped off the elevator. He was on his cell phone, clearly arguing with someone. Not really wanting to eavesdrop, but worried about what was happening, Harvey got himself within earshot but out of sight range.

"I will send you the payment when I have the money, you can't just move her out of the hospital, she'll die!"

Harvey's heart sunk. Of course, Mike didn't have insurance. Without even thinking he turned back around and headed to the information desk at the hospital. He inquired about paying Mike's grandmother's bill and the nurse looked stunned but obliged nonetheless. The amount was quite substantial as there was a bit still owing from her previous trips to the hospital. Harvey was horrified that no one had helped Mike up until this point, but then again, Mike wasn't the type to ask for help either. He quickly wrote the check and told the nurse to send the bills to him from then on and to not allow anyone to bother Mike about it again.

He headed back up to the floor and saw Mike sitting despondently in a chair outside what he assumed was his grandmother's room.

He didn't look up until Harvey was standing right in front of him and he looked surprised but actually happy to see Harvey there.

"Hey, how is she doing?"

"Hey, thank you for coming." Mike's voice was full of emotion. "She's doing ok I guess, the doctors say she isn't getting worse, which I guess is good news."

Harvey stood considering if he should tell Mike what he had done or not.

"I heard you on the phone a few minutes ago."  
Mike looked embarrassed.

"Yeah, I uh…" He broke off, not sure what to say.

"Don't worry about it Mike, I took care of it. Just worry about your grandmother."  
Mike was speechless for a few seconds.

"Harvey, I can't let you do that. It's a lot of money."  
"It's already done, and I have the money so don't worry about it."  
Mike looked at him with those blue eyes shining with tears. He blinked them away and stood up and hugged Harvey.

"Mike, despite everything, I'm here for you always, please know that."  
Mike sniffled in his ear before saying "I know, and thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

_5 months_

It seemed as though his belly grew doubly each day, he knew it wasn't but that was what it felt like.

After much consideration and a bit of nudging from Jessica, he had decided to only work for another two weeks before taking a sabbatical.

Jessica had come around more to the idea of him having a baby, though she still seemed a bit judgmental. He suspected her prodding him to leave early was as much to do with avoiding clients seeing him in this state as it had to do with his own general benefit.

He wasn't bothered by this, frankly he wasn't much in the mood to have clients see him like this either, it caused too many questions.

Since he wasn't planning on meeting with anyone these last two weeks, he only intended on using them to tie up loose ends and get things in order, he had given up on wearing suits. The effort it took to constantly have them tailored to fit his ever-expanding belly was getting too tiresome. He found it amusing that people almost seemed more shocked to see him in jeans and a hoodie than they were with his belly.

Louis had demanded to know what was going on as usual, ever the busy body that he was. Harvey had almost delighted in telling him because he knew that there was no way in hell Louis had even considered the idea, despite the obvious signs. For the first time since he had known Louis, the man was speechless.

The biggest change though over the last month was Mike. After his grandmother had begun to recover and he no longer needed to stay at the hospital all the time, he had taken to showing up at Harvey's place and staying there for the last week.

The first time it happened Harvey had been in the kitchen, eating olives and chocolate when he heard the knock at the door.

Fully expecting it to be Donna, he had simply gone up to the door and opened it as he normally did for her and walked back to the kitchen. After not hearing Donna's usual clattering entrance, he turned around to see what she was doing and found Mike standing at the entrance to his kitchen, soaked through from the rain, clearly confused about Harvey's lack of a greeting at the door.

"Oh, hey, I thought you were Donna."

Mike laughed a little.

"Oh, ok, I wasn't sure what was going on there."

Harvey smiled at him warmly, he was really happy he was there, even though he didn't know why.

"Is everything ok? How is your grandmother?"

"Yeah, she's good, I just thought I would see how you're doing."  
"I'm ok, day by day, you know."

Mike nodded slowly. Harvey just waited, he felt like there was something else he needed to say, but he wasn't going to hope just yet.

Mike looked up at him suddenly, "Harvey, I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have left like that that night and I shouldn't have been avoiding you all this time. I've been a jerk."  
A little flutter rippled through his chest at this, but he still controlled his emotions.

"You've been no such thing. I understand why you left and how this must have been a shock for you. It's not your responsibility and you don't need to apologize."  
"Harvey, I really do like you… I want to be with you, and I'm sorta hoping I haven't blown it."  
The flutter grew into full butterflies of joy. Here he was thinking that he had blown it with Mike, completely and utterly and instead, Mike was worried he had screwed things up. He couldn't help but laugh a little.

"And here I am thinking that I'm the royal fuckup here. You didn't do anything wrong, it's safe to say that I made the mistakes."

Mike came up to him quickly, standing only centimeters away but not touching him yet.

"Yeah, you did do something pretty stupid, but you were honest with me about it, and you are doing what you have to do, accepting responsibility, and I think that's pretty awesome."

Harvey could feel the electricity pulsing between them and was aching for Mike to just touch him in some way.

"Having you here now, that's what make's me feel better about myself."

With that Mike kissed him hard, closing the gap between their bodies entirely, despite Harvey's belly. The kiss was less sexual than it was just them connecting completely. When they finally parted from the kiss, Mike slid his arms around Harvey's shoulders and leaned against him. Harvey slid his arms around Mike's waist and held him.

He felt Mike start a bit and wondered what was wrong, then he heard the incredulous question in his ear.

"Harvey, what in fuck are you eating?"

_Oh yeah, that._

"Um. Olives…. And chocolate…"

"That's disgusting!"

"Yes, yes it is. But for some reason it was what I was craving."

Mike started to laugh, but then started asking questions about the baby and how everything was progressing, he seemed genuinely curious about the whole thing. They moved to the living room and cuddled up together on the couch. Harvey only took the chocolate with him, Mike wouldn't let him bring the olives, he was too grossed out.

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl yet?"  
"I've decided not to find out. Let it be a surprise."  
"Oh, that's good idea. Have you picked names yet?"

"No, that's on my to-do list when I stop working in a few weeks."

"Your leaving work?"

"Yeah, I'm taking a sabbatical. It's for the best, but I'll be back."  
"Is Jessica forcing you to do this, that's not right."  
"No, no, I made the decision myself, I think I'm going to need the time to get ready."  
"Donna hasn't finished the nursery yet?"

"How did you know she was doing that?"  
"I saw her looking at a catalogue at work yesterday and assumed."  
Harvey laughed. "Yeah, she's taken that on as her project, and I don't mind, I wouldn't have a fucking clue where to begin." The trip to the baby furniture store had been terrifying, he had no idea just how much was involved and had needed to sit down a few times. He was very grateful for Donna's help at that moment. She had sorted him out pretty quickly and only had him pick some colours. He had no idea how she knew what to do, but he was glad she did.

"The deal is, she does the nursery and I make her godmother."  
Mike laughed, "who will the godfather be?"

Harvey considered the question, he wasn't sure if Mike was fishing or not. Making him godfather seemed too distant, he was rather hoping Mike might play more of a role.

"I'm not sure yet." He hoped that answer would suffice.

Mike started laughing harder and added, "dare you to ask Louis."

Harvey broke down laughing the mental image of that conversation.

And so they had continued like this all week. While they slept together in the same bed, cuddled up, Harvey had made it clear that sex was off the table. He was far too uncomfortable with his body at that point to consider it. Mike had seemed a bit disappointed but understanding nonetheless.

Harvey had never been so happy.


	5. Chapter 5

_6 Months_

Harvey lay on the couch quietly marveling at his belly. He had been feeling the baby's movements for some time, but they now seemed to be communicative. He found that when he put his hand on his stomach, he usually got an almost immediate response from inside. This connection had made him feel that much closer to his baby, that somehow they already had their own secret language.

Mike padded into the living room. He had moved in about a week prior, getting tired of traveling back and forth.

He sat down at the other end of the couch and watched Harvey quietly as he played with the baby. Then he slowly sat forward and put his hand up questioningly if he could try it. Harvey couldn't help but smile, this was exactly what he wanted. He sat up a bit so Mike had a better angle and Mike slowly put his palm on the top of Harvey's belly. When the baby responded Mike jumped a little but the smile he had on was so joyful it made Harvey's eyes tear up.

"That's incredible." Mike whispered.

"The baby must recognize you, your voice probably from being around me."  
"Does this happen for Donna?"  
"Actually no, not responsive like this." Harvey hadn't realized this until that moment.

"The baby must sense that I'm comfortable and relaxed with you."

"And your not with Donna?"  
"Evidently not enough."  
"Well Donna is a bit of whirlwind around you right now."  
"True." Harvey laughed. She had been busily attempting to plan a baby shower for him, despite his protestations. He had no idea who the hell she would even invite to such a thing other than Mike and Jessica. And something told him that things would get uncomfortable in a hurry. He hadn't filled Jessica in on his relationship with Mike, though comments from her when she had called to see how he was doing indicated that she had suspicions. Since he was technically not working, he figured he had a free pass for the time being.

Suddenly Mike stood up and disappeared into the bedroom. Harvey sat there a little confused as to what the hell was going on until Mike came back with his laptop in his hand and plopped back down on the couch.

"I forgot to tell you, but I started a list of possible names for you to go over, you know, to help you get moving on that."  
"Mike I still have over 3 months to go. I have time to work on that."  
Mike looked a little wounded, clearly this was something he was excited about and had put some effort into. Harvey felt bad so decided to indulge him. Frankly, he really hadn't come up with any names himself; he always found some criticism in every one he thought of so perhaps outside input would help.

"Ok, hit me with them."

Mike smiled in triumph and then began.

"Ok, we'll start with girls names, what do you think of Amelia?"

"As in Earhart? A big tragic don't you think?"

Mike gave him a dirty look.

"Ok, fine, I get that. How about Bridget?"

"I would rather my child didn't grow up to be a chain smoking lush, thanks."  
"Oh ha ha, Bridget Jones Diary, you are aware that's a chick flick right?"

"I was forced to watch it against my will when Donna was drunk, stop judging me, besides you got the reference so you're just as guilty of watching it."  
"My grandmother loves that movie."

"I bet she does."

"You are making this far more difficult than it should be."  
"I should make this difficult, the kid will have to live with this name."

Mike gave a little sarcastic m-hm and then went on.

"Alright fine, what about Fiona?"  
"Seriously?"  
"What is wrong with that? It's somewhat unique, a little old-school."

"Fiona Specter?"

"Ok, sounds a little like a bad P.I."

Harvey smirked and nodded.

"What about Gertrude?"  
"I know you aren't serious with that one?"

"Her nickname could be Gerty."

"Shut it."

Mike laughed and then sighed in exasperation.  
"Ok, fine, we're clearly at an impasse on the girl's names, let's go to boys then."  
"Do we have to?" Harvey started poking Mike's leg with his toe, just to be a nuisance.  
"Yes, stop being difficult."

"Fine."

"Edward."

"I'm not naming my child after a sparkly vampire. Also, Edward Specter? Really?"  
"Seriously, you've seen Twilight?"

"Clearly you have!"  
"Jenny made me watch it."  
"I'm sure she did, I call bullshit on that, and I haven't seen it, but I do read the newspaper."

"You never struck me as someone who reads the entertainment pages."  
"I do on Sundays, it's where the crossword puzzle is."  
Mike regarded him for a moment, annoyance clear on his face.

"Ok, fine, I'm sorry, next name."  
"Colin."  
Harvey started to laugh, and Mike glared at him.

"Colin Specter? You know how fast he will get called Colon Inspector in school?"

"What about Harvey?"  
"No, that's a terrible name, but I got stuck with it you see, which is why I'm trying to avoid the same for my own kid."

Mike sighed and closed his laptop and Harvey felt a pang of guilt.

"Mike, I appreciate you trying to help, I really do, I'm just going to be really picky about this, and honestly, I don't think a name will really come to me until I meet the baby for the first time."  
Mike smiled softly and gently pulled one of Harvey's feet into his lap and started rubbing it.

"Yeah, I think that's how it will happen as well."

"At least you didn't recommend I name my kid after a piece of fruit or a colour of some kind."

Harvey started to laugh, but Mike looked pensive.

"About that, I wanted to talk to you about that."  
Harvey was confused, "fruit, you wanted to talk to me about fruit?"

"No, the 'my kid' stuff. Harvey, I want you to know I'm in this for the long haul, I love you and I'm not going anywhere."  
Harvey couldn't stop the flutter in his heart at hearing this. He sat up to come face to face with Mike. While this was exactly what he wanted to hear, he couldn't help but still feel a little guarded.

"I don't doubt that Mike, I just…"

Mike cut him off, "look, I know I reacted badly when you told me you were pregnant and you have every right to be careful, but I want to play a role in this baby's life, in your life. And I'll prove myself if I have to."

Harvey just blinked a few times. He wasn't sure how to respond with words, so leaned forward and kissed Mike warmly.


	6. Chapter 6

_7 Months_

Harvey hated Braxton Hicks, he wasn't even sure if that was some person's name or what, but he still hated them, who or whatever they were.

This annoying intrusion had come about quite suddenly in the middle of the night, causing great panic and commotion and a very nervous ride to the hospital. Followed by a very sheepish return home a few hours later.

The doctors at the hospital told him it was alright, that he should always get checked out when anything changed and that it was no problem but he still felt like a complete fool.

Neither he nor Mike were able to sleep the rest of that night, so they watched a movie and then the sun rise.

Harvey felt bad about how exhausted Mike was heading to work, but Mike had assured him he would be fine and to call if he was needed.

When he came home he was holding a wrapped package, which he handed to Harvey and told him it was from Jessica, something for the baby. He reflected for a few moments on the fact that she had known to give it to Mike for it to reach Harvey, meaning she probably already knew about their relationship.

When he opened it he found the most beautiful cream coloured soft furry baby blanket with a little tan coloured puppy stitched in one corner. He was quite touched, it was a lovely gift and was completely unexpected. He had finally convinced Donna to abandon the baby shower idea, since he just wasn't comfortable with it and didn't need gifts anyway. So Jessica's gift came out of left field, but he was grateful nonetheless. Then he found a small note at the bottom of the box and picked it up curiously.

_Harvey,_

_I want you to know that I do support you, even if I do not show it as I should. Please know you have not disappointed me, just surprised me. You're doing something that I have wanted to do for a long time and I have realized that my disapproval initially was not because I was disappointed in you, just a little envious.  
I hold you very dearly in my heart and I wish you nothing but the best. _

_But you better be back in that office when you said you would be, or there will be trouble._

_Jessica._

Harvey was stunned, he and Jessica had never really discussed their relationship before, though he had always known it to be more meaningful than the one she had with Louis. Sharing their private lives was always out of the question and that included their private desires for marriage or children. He realized that his confession to her that he was pregnant and just how he had ended up that way had opened the door for them. He didn't really know what would happen next, but he was glad of the new direction.

Mike padded back into the living room, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, having shed his work uniform. He wandered over to the couch and sat down next to Harvey and took his hand before using the other one to pick up the blanket curiously.

"This is really nice, very soft. Though, there is a puppy on it." Mike's eyebrow rose.

Harvey had forgotten completely about their inside joke while reading the note, but remembered it now and laughed a little.

He handed Mike the note for him to read and when he finished he slid an arm around Harvey's shoulders supportively.

"This was kind of her."  
"Yes it was. Also very unexpected."  
"Are you ok?"  
"Yeah, just my usual state of too much emotion. I'm happy she wrote that, I do feel better about her and I now."  
Mike gently kissed his temple and rubbed his shoulder.

Harvey leaned into him and whispered "I love you."


	7. Chapter 7

_8 Months_

Harvey felt as though he were akin to a beached whale as he lay on the couch fanning himself with the newspaper. It was August and as hot as hell and it didn't matter how much he turned down the dial on the thermostat he was still hot.

Mike on the other hand was wearing winter clothes while in the apartment and doing his very best not to upset Harvey, who could quickly turn into a killer whale at the slightest wrong look.

Donna was far more thick-skinned and kept telling him to just be quiet and stop whining. She was over for the day, putting the finishing touches on the nursery and taking no nonsense from anyone.

To add to Harvey's misery, Mike was dragging him to Lamaze class that night. He had been purposefully avoiding them for two reasons: first, he did not want to think about the birth, or any aspect of it as it scared the shit out of him. Second, he hadn't really been keen on the idea of sitting in a room full of panting pregnant people, even if he was one of them.

Mike had been pretty insistent though that he at least get an idea of what he had coming, rather than sticking his head in the sand.

Harvey had finally relented, if only to get him to just shut up.

When they had arrived, all eyes had fallen on them and Harvey had attempted to turn around and leave but ran into the brick wall that was Mike at that moment. After some mutual glaring he relented again and turned back around.

Finding a spot in the corner he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at not seeing any other pregnant guys there. In some ways he was hoping to actually ask someone else in the same position as him some questions. The Internet had scared him silly, so he wanted some confirmation of his fears.

Just as they were getting started the door opened and in walked a very pregnant 20-something guy, who was absolutely glowing and full of smiles, holding the hand of another very gorgeous younger man. Harvey suddenly regretted wanting another guy there. He felt fat and hideous, and he knew the others there were comparing the two of them.

The other couple caught sight of him as he tried to hide behind Mike and quickly came their way.

"Hi, we're glad to see you here, we were feeling pretty lonely at the other classes."

He felt Mike nudge him in the ribs a little roughly and realized he was glaring at them. It wasn't their fault they were so perfect he reminded himself. He still hated them a little though.

He softened his expression as best he could and reached his hand out to the other pregnant man "I'm Harvey and this is Mike."  
The guy shook his hand warmly and responded, "Jeremy, and this is Nick."

After they had all shook each others hands, Jeremy and Nick settled on to the floor next to them.

As the instructor began, Harvey tried hard to focus, but some of the descriptions were

making him a bit faint. This was exactly why he had done his best not to think about all of this.

Jeremy clearly saw his panic and reached over and patted his hand.

"Don't worry, she makes it sound so horrible, but it won't be that bad."  
"Actually, I think it probably will be. There's no point in fucking sugar-coating it."

Mike nudged him again.

Jeremy looked a bit panicked himself then, and Nick tried to change the subject before they both went into hysterics.

"How long have you two been together."

Mike answered, since Harvey couldn't.

"About three months, you?"

Both Jeremy and Nick looked at Harvey's belly at the words three months.

Mike just laughed, "I'm not the baby's biological father, but I will be acting as such." The other two cooed at this, as though it was the sweetest thing in the world. Harvey agreed on that fact but remained silent.

He was glad that Mike was handling this so well, since he knew he was failing miserably.

Nick smiled in understanding, "we've been together five years, we were high school sweethearts. Where did you meet?"

"Harvey hired me as his associate."  
"Aww that's sweet, an office romance"

Jeremy had calmed down enough at that point to ask when Harvey was due.

"September 26, you?"

"No way! I'm due September 25!"

Harvey couldn't quite join in with the squeals of delight at this, as frankly, he didn't fucking care at that moment, since the instructor had brought out props that were far too graphic for his liking. He hadn't thrown up in about two months, but feared he might be about to begin again.

Mike clearly sensed his change in mood.

"Harvey, you ok?"  
"I might need to step out for a minute."

Once they were safely in the hall, Harvey breathing through his mouth, he realized while Mike was concerned about him, he was also trying very hard not to laugh.

"Is something funny?"  
"I'm sorry, but have you not thought about giving birth at all this whole time?"  
"I've tried very, very hard not to."  
"Harvey, what the hell were you planning on doing?"

"Drugs."  
"Harvey. Seriously?"  
"Ok, fine, I don't do well with pain."

Mike's attempts at suppressing his laugh were failing now. But he collected himself and turned serious again.

"Harvey, you need to go in there and learn about this. You will be better off armed with knowledge and you know it."

"Fine, I will do that… tomorrow."  
Mike reprimanded him. "Harvey, no. Now."

Harvey sighed in exasperation. "Fine, but if I throw up, it's your fault."  
Mike laughed again and then held the door open for him.

Jeremy and Nick looked at him concerned as he repositioned himself on the floor. He ignored them completely.

He felt Mike sit down behind him and he tried very hard to pay attention to the instructor. Mike was right, he only had a few weeks left, he had to face the fact that this baby was going to be coming out, somehow, and he better be prepared for that fact.

When the class mercifully ended, Mike helped him up since he was unable to get into the standing position from the floor on his own, and he headed for the exit.

He heard Mike talking to Jeremy and Nick behind him, but he just went outside and gulped in the fresh air.

Jeremy came up beside him and gave him a sympathetic look. "The first class is always the hardest, it's the most shocking, but you'll be ok."  
Harvey didn't believe this for a second, and almost told him so, but he got a warning look from Mike to behave and kept his mouth shut.

Mike made their goodbyes and they got into the car. Harvey hated letting Mike drive his car, but he had a hell of a time getting behind the wheel comfortably, so he had relented to this, knowing it was only short term.

"You need to relax, people have been having babies for a really long time, you will be fine."

"I know that rationally Mike, but this is all rather new to me, and I didn't exactly plan all of this, so you will have to excuse me if I'm freaking out a little bit."  
Mike reached over and took his hand, gently squeezing it.

"I'm here with you, you know, and I will help you through this. Besides, think about the best part."

"What is that?"  
"Holding the baby, seeing him or her for the first time."  
Harvey considered this. He was still finding it difficult to picture that moment, as wrapped up in worry as he was.

He lifted Mike's hand and put it back on the steering wheel. "Both hands on the wheel please."

Mike gave him an amused look, but complied.

Harvey stared out the rainy window the rest of the way home, trying to picture that moment of seeing his baby for the first time. The picture was coming in clearer and he knew it would be worth all of it.


	8. Chapter 8

_9 Months_

At his final doctor's appointment he had been cheerily informed he could go into labour at any time. While this should have been an exciting prospect, and it was, it also instilled panic into Mike.

Harvey didn't know when it happened, but he had suddenly become quite calm about the entire thing. He was still scared of giving birth, but felt like he was finally ready. He spent his time cleaning the apartment from top to bottom to make sure it was ready and organizing everything. Donna informed him he was nesting, but he felt he was just being prepared.

Mike on the other hand, was a basket case. Harvey didn't dare complain about any aches or pains or he risked causing Mike to start hyperventilating.

After he had made the error of mentioning his aching back, Mike had gone into full blown panic and had started ushering him to the front door, urgently trying to whisk him to the hospital. When Harvey had finally calmed him down he couldn't help but laugh at their switched reactions.

"I seem to remember you telling me everything was going to be fine over a month ago at that Lamaze class and now look at you."  
"I'm sorry, ok, I'm just worried about not getting you to the hospital on time or something. I'm on edge because I don't know when you're going to go into labour. I don't know how the hell you're so calm!"  
"I'm calm because at that Lamaze class you told me to be. And frankly, at this point, getting into a state does no one any good. I'm just worried about your ability to even drive when I do go into labour."

Mike threw him a dirty look.

"Listen Mike, my due date is still a week away, yes I can go at any minute, but honestly, I haven't felt anything change, so I think we still have time. So just calm down."

Mike's shoulders dropped a bit, and he regarded Harvey for a few seconds.

"I'm sorry, I guess in all that time I was telling you to be calm and prepared I forgot to tell myself the same thing. We'll be ok."

Harvey smiled at him and they settled together on the couch in front of an old black and white.

The next morning Mike was called to the office. He tried to argue with Louis that he was not coming in, and why, but Louis was having none of it, evidently it was a big emergency. Harvey still felt the same and so figured he would be fine with Mike gone for a few hours. Mike clearly felt different but finally relented at Harvey's insistence, promising to be no more than an hour. He left grumbling that he had rightfully booked the time off and shouldn't be expected to rush in like this.

Harvey padded around the apartment, doing final touches until the pain in his lower back from the night before forced him to finally sit down. He had been ignoring the ache because it didn't seem too serious and it had actually gone away for a few hours during the night, so he assumed it was just from the extra weight he was carrying and nothing more. But it was becoming a bit more sharp, and rather uncomfortable. As he sat on the couch it stabbed him again, but spread a little further around his abdomen and he felt a cool fear well in his chest.

But after a few minutes on the couch, the pain eased again, so he relaxed. He had begun to doze a little when the pain returned with the same nasty intensity as it had 20 minutes before. His concern also returned. Having never had a baby before, he had no idea what a contraction was supposed to feel like, but the pain he had at that moment could easily be described as that.

But just as before, the pain eased, and he relaxed. As the baby laid itself on his bladder again he headed for the bathroom and was stopped about half way by a sudden feeling of fluid between his legs. Feeling a bit horrified that he might have pissed himself, he assessed the situation and realized that that was actually not the case.

His water had just broken.

Panic returned again with full force this time and he stood completely frozen for a few minutes before he found his head and realized he needed to get some help.

Waddling as quick as he could with his large belly and wet pants, he got his phone and called Mike.

Somehow sensing what the phone call was about, Mike's voice was panicked and he didn't even say hello, just "Harvey?"

"It's time."

"FUCK, this is why I didn't want to leave you alone." Harvey could hear the sound of a chair moving and the voices of other people and realized that this outburst had occurred right in the middle of the meeting.

Without thinking Harvey heard himself saying "I told you not to answer your phone in front of clients."

"Are you serious right now?" Was Mike's incredulous reply.

"Sorry, my mind isn't all that straight right now. I will change my pants and meet you downstairs, ok?"

"Change your…? Um, ok, yes, I'll be there in a few minutes, just hold on."  
"Uh, yeah, I'll try." What did he want him to do, cross his legs?

He hung up and went to the bedroom to change. His hands were shaking as he slipped on clean pants, and went to grab the bag that he had packed in preparation. Another contraction hit and he was forced to sit down on the bed and wait it out. Breathing hard from the strength of this one, it finally eased up enough to allow him to start moving again.

As he waddled through the lobby, he got a few concerned looks from people passing him, but he kept on going, even as another contraction hit.

He couldn't see Mike outside yet, so stood breathing hard as the pain reverberated through this middle. The doorman rushed to his side and started trying to usher him into a cab. Harvey kept waving him off, declaring that someone was coming for him; he was going to wait.

He started to get more frightened when the contraction seemed to go on for a lot longer than any of the others had. He was getting concerned that the baby had no intention of waiting for Mike to get there. As if on cue he heard honking and looked up to see Mike damn near mount the curb as he screamed to a halt in front of the building. He was running to Harvey's side even before the car had stopped moving and quickly helped him into the passenger side. The kind doorman put Harvey's bag in the backseat and then they were moving.

"How far apart are the contractions?"

"The last one hasn't fucking ended yet!"

Mike grabbed his hand and Harvey did his damndest not to break his fingers, but it was difficult with the pain he was in.

The ride to the hospital felt like it took forever, he only got a few breaks between contractions and was getting very scared at how fast he seemed to be progressing.

"I read about this, this was what I was so scared of Harvey. This is known as precipitous labour, it's super fast. I knew I shouldn't have gone to that stupid fucking meeting, stupid Louis."

Harvey managed to pant out "what does this mean, is this bad? Is something wrong with the baby?"

"I don't think so," Mike glanced at him reassuringly, "it's just really fast labour. Maybe it'll be a good thing for you, it won't hurt for as long."  
"It really fucking hurts now!"  
Mike swerved around the corner and into the hospital parking lot and straight into the entrance area of the ER. A few EMT's standing nearby jumped into action and rushed over to them. At first Harvey thought they were going to give Mike shit for parking there, but he realized they were coming to help.

He heard Mike informing them of the situation, somehow he was back to being calm again and Harvey couldn't help but wonder why they both couldn't be in the same mood at the same time.

An EMT opened his door and helped him out of the car and into a wheelchair and then spun him around and started pushing him very quickly into the hospital.

He lost track of Mike for a few seconds, but then he was there, gripping his hand again. Still giving information to the various hospital people around them such as Harvey's doctor's name, but he wasn't listening very hard at the moment.

It had just hit him that he would be holding his baby very soon; that it was actually, finally happening. Despite the pain he felt a sense of calm wave over him and he felt like he could get through this, it was going to be fine.

As they reached the maternity wing, he saw his doctor coming down the hall towards him in scrubs. He gave Harvey a few platitudes before giving the nurses instructions.

Harvey was handed a hospital gown and with Mike's help was able to change quickly before lying down on the bed. Without warning the doctors hand was between his legs checking him, and Harvey didn't even get time to glare at him for his audacity before another contraction wracked him. Mike attempted to coach him through it with the breathing patterns they had learned in Lamaze, but Harvey found them useless and so instead started yelling. It didn't ease the pain, but being loud somehow made him feel better.

As the contraction went on, he felt hands arranging him, inserting IV's and putting him into a position that left him with absolutely no dignity. He didn't care at the moment but felt he might at a later time.

"Ok, Mr. Specter, on the next contraction I want to you bear down and push as hard as you can."

_I beg your pardon_ , was all Harvey could think.

"What? I just got here, I shouldn't be pushing yet." He sounded hysterical, but didn't care.

"You are already ready, and you need to start pushing."  
Harvey had never wanted to kick someone in the face so much as he did at that moment.

He heard Mike encouraging him beside him, and decided to just give in and do what they wanted.

As the next contraction settled over him he did as he was instructed and pushed as hard as he could. And did it again and again as they told him to. He was gripping Mike's hand with iron force but couldn't let go. Then suddenly, it still felt way to fast, it was over and the baby was out. He heard a small cry and craned his neck to see where they were, feeling as though he needed to immediately comfort the child.

He heard Mike whisper in his ear that it was a boy.

And then there he was, with a hospital towel wrapped loosely around him. Harvey immediately cradled him into his arms, an instinctive move. The baby opened his eyes and looked up at him curiously. His eyes were the palest blue, but he had Harvey's nose, he could see that already.

He felt Mike kiss his temple and turned to look at him, smiling.

"He's here."

Mike smiled back and squeezed Harvey's shoulder.

His world felt complete. He had Mike beside him and his beautiful son in his arms. Nothing else mattered.

* * *

It had taken only a few minutes for the name to hit him, but to him it was perfect.

Fionn Michael Specter. Fionn because of his blond hair and blue eyes, it suited him.

Mike gave him hell for a few minutes, seeing as Harvey had given him hell for Fiona. But he couldn't help but agree that it was the perfect name after all and he especially liked the middle name for obvious reasons.

He and Fionn were enjoying a quiet moment in their hospital room. The hysteria around them gone, and Mike had gone outside to use his cell phone to call Donna to tell her the news. He knew she would be there almost instantly so used the time alone with his son wisely. He studied each soft blond hair on his head, and his beautiful long eyelashes. The way his mouth formed a perfect pout and how his eyes seem to follow Harvey's every move. Harvey knew well enough that he couldn't see much yet, so he knew it was his voice keeping his attention, but he loved that attention nonetheless.

He gently kissed the tiny soft forehead of his baby and reveled in his happiness.

A soft knock at the door brought him back to the rest of the world, and he quietly said 'come in'.

Balloons and a rather large blue teddy bear preceded the person carrying them, almost eclipsed them actually, but he could see a shot of red hair and knew it was Donna.

She quickly deposited her load and grinned at him and tip toed over to him to peek at Fionn.

She giggled happily and bent and kissed Harvey's forehead. Something that was completely unheard of for them before, but their relationship had changed a great deal in these few short months.

"I knew it wouldn't take long for you to get here." He laughed.

"I was already here. As soon as I saw Mike running like a bat out of hell for the elevator I knew what was up."

She bent closer to the little bundle Harvey was cradling and sighed softly.

"He's gorgeous Harvey."

"He's perfect," Harvey whispered as Fionn wrapped his tiny fingers around Donna's index finger.

"Can I hold him?"

Harvey considered this, and decided Donna was acceptable. He knew it would be OK but still felt a bit apprehensive as she took Fionn into her arms. She stood cooing at him and rocking slightly, a silly grin on her face.

"Have you ever thought about having kids Donna?"

"Well, not much in the past since I had an ogre of a boss who would have given me hell. But yeah, I would love to have one of my own."

Harvey smiled, she looked so at ease.

"You are a natural, you'll be an amazing mother."

She looked at him and he could see her eyes getting a bit watery.

"I promise I won't be an ogre anymore."

She laughed softly, regaining her composure.

Mike came back into the room and smiled softly at the scene.

"I just saw Nick down the hall, I guess Jeremy is in labour right now."

"Oh, that's good news. Everything is going ok?" As he said this, he could distinctly hear Jeremy yelling down the hall.

"Yeah, Nick wasn't going to let him on the fact that you were in labour for only an hour, seeing as he's been at it for nine hours already."

"Holy shit. I could not have handled that. I know I was damn lucky."

"Don't put yourself down so much, you actually were very composed, aside from the initial yelling and the threats about kicking the doctor's face."

So he had said that out loud had he. _Whoops._

The nurse joined them then as well, she had Fionn's bottle and Donna begrudgingly handed him back over to Harvey so he could feed him.

Harvey couldn't stifle the yawns as he sat feeding Fionn and the nurse quickly informed Donna and Mike that it was time to go and let both of them rest.

Mike balked, but Harvey agreed that he should go get some rest as well. He wasn't going to miss anything but the two of them sleeping and he was clearly dead on his feet as well.

After they had gone and Fionn was fed and softly dozing in Harvey's arms he fully relaxed. He reflected on the morning when he had found out he was pregnant and how much had changed since then. At that time he wasn't sure he would have the baby, or keep it if he did. Now, even after only a few hours, he couldn't imagine his life without Fionn. The change was good.

* * *

They let Harvey and Fionn out of the hospital after two days. Both were well so there was no point in keeping them. He had a minor fit of panic about being away from the secure guard and helpfulness of the nurses but knew he had to trust that he had learned enough and his own instincts.

On their way out he stopped by Jeremy's room to see how he and his new daughter were doing. In the end it had taken almost twenty-four hours of labour before she was born, and Harvey felt that he should be nice after the poor bastard had been through that.

Jeremy smiled tiredly at him as he went in. "Hey, I heard you were here, how did everything go?"

"Good, not too bad." He instantly regretted saying that and gave him an apologetic look.

"Don't worry about it, Nick told me you were one of the lucky ones with the ridiculously short labour. How long did it take?"

"Less than an hour."

"Ok now I hate you a little."

"Well, it's over now, and you have your daughter."

Jeremy smiled again, and peeked at the bundle in Harvey's arms.

"You had a boy I heard! Congrats, what did you name him?"

Harvey stepped forward and bent and let Jeremy take the little bundle in his arms for a closer look. He took the opportunity to go over and have a look at the little one wrapped in pink in the bassinet beside the bed. He had never had much interest in babies until he now had his own and his curiosity got the better of him.

"Fionn, and what's this beautiful little ones name?"

"Sophia. Harvey, he's gorgeous, he looks so much like you."

Harvey regarded him, he had dark hair and dark eyes, which Fionn clearly did not have so he wasn't sure where he was getting the comparison.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I know he's blond and blue-eyed, clever name by the way, but he has your nose and mouth, and those big round eyes of yours."

Harvey couldn't help but feel a little chuffed about that. He had been searching for himself in Fionn's perfect face and had not been able to find a lot of similarities as far as he could tell, but Jeremy seemed quite adamant. He decided to take the comment on face value and be happy.

Nick came in, and they exchanged more pleasantries. He held Fionn as well for a few minutes before Mike came to get him since he was illegally parked again.

He intended to shake Jeremy's hand, but was pulled into a hug before they left. He promised to call them and set up play dates, silently thinking that it was a bit early for that. But despite his earlier opinions he had decided they were nice enough people, and it would be good to have someone to talk to who was going through the same thing at each stage.

Putting Fionn into the baby seat in the back, Harvey almost laughed out loud at the fact that there was a baby seat at all in his $100,000 car. Never in a million years had he ever thought that would happen, but he found that he quite liked it.

Not wanting to be away from Fionn, he sat in the back, keeping a close eye, while Mike chauffeured them.

"Mike, let's stop at the office first, before we go home, to see Jessica."  
"Uh, ok, you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll surprise her, she called yesterday, but she has been busy looking after my cases, so I should make the effort to go see her."  
"Ok. Sure, I guess." Mike sounded dubious, but turned the right direction.

Harvey was surprised in himself that he was so at ease about going into the office with his child, considering that he wasn't sure just how many people even knew he had had a baby period. Though he suspected Louis had been spreading the word, so the general level of surprise would probably be pretty small.

As they pulled up it felt weird to look at those front doors again, when he had been away for so long.

He still hadn't figured out how to get the damn car seat to come out of the car as it should, so he unbuckled Fionn and just picked him up and cradled him against his chest with his head on his shoulder.

Mike was at this side attempting to help in any way he could, but realized he was just getting in the way, so grabbed the diaper bag.

He was surprised when he got on the elevator and the young woman was there with her son as well. She looked a little startled at seeing him again, clearly she had noticed his absence and he briefly wondered what department she worked in. She broke into a grin when she saw the tiny form in his arms though and whispered congratulations.

He smiled back at her warmly and held out his free hand. "Harvey Specter"

She shook and responded "Callie Jones."

"Where do you work in the building?"

"I'm in human resources. You're a senior partner right?"

Harvey nodded and smiled down at her son who was beaming up at him, he had lost a few teeth since he had last seen the kid.

"Has the tooth fairy been?"

The boy nodded vigorously and Harvey couldn't help but laugh. "How old are you?"

"Five."

"Wow, you're getting big. What's your name?"

"Charlie. What's his name," he gestured at the baby.

"Fionn."  
"What does that mean?"

"Fair, he has blond hair and blue eyes."

Callie leaned over and took a closer look, smiling brightly. "How old is he? He's so tiny. I forget when this one was that small!"

"He's three days old. I love him this small, though I know he's going to grow quickly."

"Aww, he's just new. And yes, they grow very fast, so enjoy every minute, they are all worth it."

Just then the doors opened for the third floor. They bid each other good bye and Harvey vowed to get to know her better, he liked having friends, it was a change.

Walking out onto his floor, he had forgotten just how chaotic it could be and it took a full minute before anyone even noticed him there. Cradling Fionn close he made his way to Jessica's office, attempting to avoid being bumped by an associate who was going like a bat out of hell down the hallway. Mike seemed to immediately take on the job of bodyguard, which was both amusing and appreciated at the same time.  
"Harvey?" He heard Louis say behind him.

He turned around and gave Louis a quick smirk. There were some people he wanted to be friendly with, and then there were those he didn't.

"Uh, wow, you're here. I guess congratulations are in order."

Harvey got the distinct impression that Louis was disappointed about his visit. Mike had been filling him in on Louis lording about the office while he was away. He was glad Louis hadn't changed at all.

"Thank you Louis." He turned again and continued down the hall.

That was when he heard the feet. They were feet moving very quickly, feet that by the sounds of things were in heels. As he turned around again he saw the owners of the feet, Rachel.

She caught up to him and literally squealed while vibrating with excitement.

"Oh my God, can I see him? I heard he's gorgeous, I'm so happy for you!"

With that she threw her arms around him in a big hug and then returned to examining Fionn while continuing to chatter on.

Harvey was flabbergasted. Sure, he had spoken to Rachel on occasion, and they were friendly enough in terms of a business relationship, so he didn't quite know what to do with this reaction on her part.

He looked to Mike for help, who was killing himself laughing at Harvey's expression and therefore no help at all.

"Sorry, Harvey, I just love babies!" She squealed.

Louis approached then, face like thunder.

"Rachel, I thought I asked you to research this case for me. I need to put together an offer by tomorrow."

Harvey gave him a dirty look. He knew well enough that Rachel was a damn good worker and didn't deserve to be talked to like that.

"Louis, why don't you do your own damn research this time. Rachel has better things to do."

It was Rachel's turn to look flabbergasted.

Louis's face turned a rather robust puce shade. "You aren't working here right now, so you don't get to make those decisions."

"Louis, I paid half a million dollars to be Senior Partner and as such, even when I'm technically not working, I'm still above your ass in the food chain, now go do your own dirty work."

Louis was now damn near purple. He huffed a few times and turned on his heel and stomped down the hall.

Harvey decided that that had felt pretty good, it was nice knowing he still was much the same in many ways. Mocking Louis was one of his favourite past times anyway.

"Thanks Harvey, I was getting to his stuff, but I'm pretty swamped."

"Don't worry about it Rachel, I know what kind of worker you are, you have nothing to worry about."

She brightened at this. "Are you here to see Jessica? She seems very happy for you."

Harvey wasn't sure if this was true or not, while the note from Jessica had seemed to open some doors, they had spoken very infrequently since and it was tense. This was part of the reason he was there, he had to clear the air somehow.

"Yes, is she in her office?"

"I think so, last I saw she was."

"Ok thanks, talk to you later."

She grinned at him and then gave Fionn a goofy smile and wave before heading back to her own office.

As he approached Jessica's office, he could see that she was indeed in there. She was sitting on one of the guest chairs with her back to the window, clearly engrossed in a pile of files in front of her. He briefly wondered what was going on with his clients, but quieted it. He intended to take another full three or four months off to spend with Fionn, who was his priority now.

Mike had somehow figured that this was something that Harvey needed to do alone and so had gone off to chat with Donna.

He knocked softly on her door before opening it. She turned and did a quick double take, and was openly surprised to see him.

"Harvey, wow, I didn't expect to see you this soon."

"Someone wants to say hello, and I think we should talk."

Her curiosity took over quickly, and she stood and came to see Fionn. She smiled brightly, as she gazed at him and he saw her becoming more emotional. He remembered what she had said in the note, about her envy of him, and fully realized at that moment just how much she wanted a baby of her own.  
"Would you like to hold him?"

She looked a little unsure for a second but quickly nodded.

As he laid Fionn gently into her arms, one tear slipped it's way down her cheek. Without even thinking Harvey slid an arm around her and hugged her. Then they both laughed.

She sat back down in a chair, Harvey sat next to her and watched her.

"He's absolutely beautiful Harvey. I love his name by the way, Fionn Specter, he'll be a lawyer for sure."

"I fully intend on it."

Fionn gazed up at her curiously, he was afraid of no one.

"I'm sorry I didn't come to see you in the hospital, but" and she gestured with one hand at the pile on the table, "I've been a bit busy."  
"I see that, don't worry about it."

"What did you want to talk about?" He knew damn right well that she already knew herself what he wanted to talk about, but in true Jessica style, was making him start first.

"Thank you for the blanket, he loves it. And thank you for the note; it helped me get more perspective on us. But things have been a bit tense and I wanted to make sure we are ok."

"Yes, Harvey." She sighed softly. "We're fine. I have no doubt that you can handle all of this, but as I said I am envious of you. I put all of this off, for who knows what reason, I'm sure I thought it was good at the time, and seeing you moving forward like this made me start to realize that I have waited too long."

"It's never too late, you can still have what you want."

"I know that now. Looking into the face of this angel has helped me make a decision."

"What's that?"

"I'm going to adopt a baby. I am going to be a mother." She said this softly but with great determination at the same time.

"You will be an amazing mother, that baby is going to be incredibly lucky."

"Do you think you'll have more yourself?"

Now here was a tricky question. He had been thinking, but had no conclusion yet.

"I'm on the fence. I mean, if you had asked me that question even a month ago, it would have been a sure no, but I've decided to be more open minded. Right now however, my life is all about him, he and Mike are my whole world."

She glanced up and lifted her eyebrow and suddenly he realized the slip he had just made.

She laughed at his panicked expression then, "don't worry Harvey, I already figured it out, and Donna might have given me some clues."

_Of course she had_ , he thought. He decided not to be angry, it didn't seem to be that big of a deal.

They chatted for a while about various things, Jessica carefully avoided mentioning clients and cases because it was clear that Harvey had no intention of being involved at that point.

As she handed Fionn back to Harvey and they big their goodbyes, their relationship had become one of real friendship, rather than business comradery. They had always been very loyal and close to each other, in terms of support for the firm, but the new level of friendship gave new direction.

* * *

He glanced at the clock when he woke up, 2:30am, close to Fionn's feeding time. He listened for the usual soft coo that indicated it was time but heard something else entirely. It was then he noticed that Mike wasn't beside him in bed.

He slipped out from under the covers quietly and tip toed to the door of the nursery to peek inside to find out what the strange sound he had heard over the monitor was.

What he saw took his breath away. Mike stood by the window, cradling Fionn gently in his arms while rocking him softly and singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Harvey just stood and watched, overcome with emotion. It took Mike a few minutes to notice him there, but he smiled warmly when he did.

"I heard him awake, thought I would let you sleep, you did just get out of the hospital and all."

Unable to talk yet Harvey just walked into the room and up to Mike and kissed him gently before kissing the soft fuzzy head in his arms.

This was it, he knew it; this was what his life was supposed to be. He had never been happier. He would never want anything more than this.

_Fin_


End file.
